This teaching, which is based on a brief text by Chokyi Wangchuk entitled Aspiration for the Bardo, will enhance your understanding of dying, death and the bardo even if you have heard and read about these topics before. Following stanzas that teach bardo from the ultimate and relative perspective, the text introduces the bardo of life and the bardo of dreams. However, the principal subject of this teaching is the bardo of possibility which includes three parts: dying, death and approaching rebirth.These stages of bardo present the possibility of rebirth or the possibility of liberation, depending on our preparation during this life.

Death is a subject obscured by fear and denial. When we do think of dying, we are more often concerned with how to avoid the pain and suffering that may accompany our death than we are with really confronting the meaning of death and how to approach it. Sushila Blackman places death—and life—in a truer perspective, by telling us of others who have left this world with dignity.

In Sutra, Phowa means Transmission of Mind or Consciousness. It is stated in the Tantra that Phowa is the swift, supreme path to free oneself from samsara and to attain enlightenment. The benefits of having the connection with and receiving teaching on Phowa are incredibly immense. It is also applicable to those who do not practice it and those who have strong emotional afflictions with no desire to denounce samsara. Phowa can purify negative karma and is most helpful at the time of death.